As Pow Wow winds down this week, it’s great news that international visitation to the U.S. is up this year over last year.

The number of international visitors to the United States rose 9 percent in February from a year ago, after record arrivals in 2011 and an increase in visits in January 2012.

A total 4.2 million international visitors came to the U.S., with the largest number from nearby Canada and Mexico in February of this year.

Of the top 10 nations sending visitors to the U.S., two countries posted double-digit growth: Brazil and China. Brazil is up more than 27 percent in 2012 over last year with 294,052 arriving in the U.S. and visitors from China so far in 2012 total 227,856, up 40 percent over last year.

Miami, New York’s JFK and Los Angeles LAX airports were the three busiest ports of entry for international travelers in February.